


Second Guesses

by OneTooManyAddictions



Category: Harry Styles - Fandom, Lirry - Fandom, Louis Tomlinson - Fandom, Niam - Fandom, Niam Horayne - Fandom, One Direction (Band), liam payne - Fandom, niall horan - Fandom
Genre: Cheating, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Mistress, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-21
Updated: 2016-04-11
Packaged: 2018-04-05 09:43:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4175124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneTooManyAddictions/pseuds/OneTooManyAddictions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when the mistress falls for the fiancè?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> There are 12 or 13 chapters to this story. I will post them when I get them written. Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

From Unknown  
Hi

Niall looked at his phone. The message had come from an unknown number. He didn't know what to expect or if to respond at all. He stared at the message but in the end curiosity won out.

To Unknown  
Who is this?

He set his phone down on the bed he was seated on. He was in his boyfriend's room. They had just gotten back together after having an on-and-off relationship for seven months. He was worried that the text was from another person telling him that his boyfriend, Mac, had cheated again. Niall wasn't sure what he would do if Mac had cheated an hour into their relationship again.

From Unknown  
Harry

Niall frowned in confusion when he read the message he just received. He didn't know any Harry. He shook his head as ideas filled his as to what could be going on. He saved the number and decided to find out what was going on.

To Harry  
I don't know you. How'd you get my number? 

From Harry  
I got it out of Mac's phone.

Niall froze in place as he read those words. He knew what they meant. This Harry kid was around Mac at some point long enough to look through his phone and get Niall's number. Niall tried not to jump to conclusions but he needed to know.

To Harry  
Are you texting me to tell me that Mac cheated on me again?

From Harry  
No. At least not that I know of.

To Harry  
Have you ever slept with Mac while we were together? 

From Harry  
I've slept with him once but it was a while ago and he never mentioned a boyfriend. 

To Harry  
He never does.

Niall put his phone down to take in everything he just learned. Harry hadn't said that Mac cheated on him this time but Niall still had a hard time forgiving him from the past. Each time he gets a text he's always scared its another video clip of his boyfriend screwing a different guy or nudes of his boyfriend that he sent to a secret boyfriend. 

Niall had been in the secret boyfriend role before. He'd pretended that being a secret didn't hurt even though it killed him to watch Mac with other guys. Watching their relationship seem perfect while Mac snuck away for a quickie here and there. Sometimes he'd spend the night but usually he'd leave. Niall just waited until the time Mac decided he was worth being public for.

But that was at the beginning of their relationship months ago. He'd been public after two months of secret moments. They didn't have a pretty relationship. Mac was an angry horny drunk which led to hitting and punching and sometimes sex all in the same night. It started out with only being when he was drunk then the hitting started happening when he wasn't. At first he apologized but then he stopped and kept on hitting and kicking. He'd occasionally hit Niall during sex as well and not the kinky kind.

Niall started getting use to the beatings that happened almost daily. He knew that if he didn't fight back then they weren't as bad and ended sooner. It was almost a natural reaction but then the name calling started. That sent Niall into a new round of tears and trying to figure out how to handle it. He learned quickly that if he flinched at a word he was called it gave Mac a sense of power and he used it against Niall anyway he could. So Niall learned quickly not to react to the names.

Soon enough Niall began believing his boyfriend's words. He believed he was all those names he was called even if he did nothing to earn them. He stopped being able to go to college. He stopped being able to go to work. He stopped visiting friends. Soon his friends stopped coming over and then they stopped talking to him all together. He stopped doing all of this because Mac didn't want him out of the house. And he'd do anything to please Mac.

From Harry  
Come over.

To Harry  
No. I don't know you.

From Harry  
I promise I'm not a serial killer. Just come over and cuddle.

Niall looked at the text and shook his head a bit in surprise. He hadn't ever met Harry before but he wanted to know who this guy was. 

And cuddling never hurt anyone right?


	2. Chapter Two

And cuddling never hurt anyone right?

Niall arrived at the address that Harry sent him. He stood outside the front door picking at his nails. He couldn't break that nervous habit no matter how hard he tried. He use to bite his nails so he called it a victory when he stopped that. Mac called him disgusting whenever he use to bite his nails.

The blonde haired boy worked up the courage to finally knock on the front door of the house and waited for an answer. He looked around at the house taking in a few features of the household he was about to enter.

The house was painted a royal blue color with a white trim around the windows. There were blue, red, and purple flowers in the gardens in front of the front windows. A porch swing was on the left side of the porch. It looked like a nice family home which helped Niall relax.

The door opened and Niall's gaze instantly shot to the person in front of him.  The first thing he saw was bright green. Bright emerald deep green eyes. Niall's eyes moved to take in the other features. Big smile made up of plump lips, long nose, a full face still holding onto some baby fat but not enough to be comical.  Curly dark brown hair that framed the boy's face and made Niall want to run his fingers through it as much as he could. He moved his gaze down the boy's body and say long limbs. Long arms and long legs attached to a long torso. Man this guy was taller than Niall.

"Uh... Hi..." Niall murmured as he bit his lip suddenly feeling shy and small in comparison.

Harry smiled brightly and stepped aside so the smaller boy could come inside, "Hello, you must be Niall. Come on in. I was just having a drink. Would you like anything?"

The blonde haired boy nodded and stepped inside, removing his shoes and took in his surroundings. Picture frames covered the walls filled with art work and family photographs. Everything was very simple and kind of messy considering, Niall assumed, he lived alone and he was a male so it wasn't so unusual. Harry looked young and gave off a single vibe.

"I'll take a water please," the smaller male said and moved into the living room.

The living room was how any single male's living room would look like. Mismatched, handed down, used furniture with a coffee table and a television. Nothing too abnormal considering how young Harry seemed to be. Niall took a seat on the small love seat and looked at the designs that covered the stiff couch. The navy blue material was covered in crisscross gold, brown, and maroon lines. Unlike the chair which was a bright lavender color and the other chair was just a regular wooden rocking chair.

The blonde boy looked up as Harry entered the room and gave him a small smile. As he took the glass of water from Harry he spoke up, "So you know Mac?"

The green eyed boy sat down in the lavender chair and nodded carelessly, "I met him a few times. Slept with him twice. He never mentioned if he had a boyfriend or not."

"When did you sleep with him last?" Niall asked as he took slow sips of his water.

"Um... like a month ago," Harry shrugged and looked over at Niall as he took a drink from his glass.

Niall thought for a moment trying to figure out if Mac and he had been on a break last month but they were on and off so much that he wasn't sure. One hour they'd be perfect and the next Mac would be pissed about something and he'd start hitting and kicking on Niall. It wouldn't even have to be Niall's fault but because Niall was there he'd be the one getting the abuse and that's what he hated the most. The abuse for the stuff that wasn't his fault. He seemed to be getting beaten for everything now. Whether it was good or bad. He'd get pushed around at least once a day if not slapped across the face for something stupid.

Sure Niall has thought about leaving but no one would want him and he lost his apartment and he has no money to get his own place. He needed someone to love and care for him. He needed someone to take care of too. If anyone were to want him it'd just be for his body and they'd be worse to him than Mac was. He was just worthless and a whore.

"So, you're dating Mac?"

Niall shook himself out of his thoughts and looked over at the curly haired lad. He nodded and shrugged slightly, "Yeah, off and on for a while."

Harry chuckled softly and shook his head, "Why are you with him? You could do better."

The blue eyed boy frowned instantly and he shook his head at the boy, "Mac is good to me."

Harry started chuckling and shaking his head, "Oh no, dude. He isn't good to anyone but himself. When was the last time you did something you wanted to do?"

Niall bit his lip and shrugged slightly, "I came here..."

"Does Mac know you're here?"

"No."

"If he knew would you be here right now?" The green eyed boy looked at the blonde with a raised eyebrow. 

Niall felt his cheeks heat up as he slowly shook his head before he mumbled, "No. Probably not. Mac doesn't like me leaving the house."

Harry chuckled and shook his head before standing from his seat. He held his hand out to Niall and wiggled his fingers trying to get the smaller boy to stand. A small smile coming to his face when the smaller boy took his hand and stood.

"You came over to cuddle so lets go cuddle, yeah?" The boy smiled and led the short blonde up the stairs, to the second room down the upstairs hallway.

The room was painted a light sky blue color with some posters and picture frames covering the walls. A queen size bed was against the right side of the room covered with a maroon colored comforter. The dresser was made of dark wood across from the bed and a matching nightstand beside the bed. There were clothes scattered around the room and hanging over the desk and chair in the corner of the room.

Niall smiled slightly as he walked into the bedroom almost instantly relaxing when he saw it was basically identical to his room back at his private school when he was still in school. He knew Harry was somewhere around his age. He just wasn't sure how old the other male actually was.

Harry crawled into his bed and patted the spot beside him waiting for the boy to join him. He flipped through his t.v. that was sat on top of his dresser while Niall crawled in beside him. Once he found a movie on a channel he turned the volumn down he turned to face the blue eyed blonde.

"Let's get to know each other because I want to be your friend," Harry said simply.

Niall nodded and leaned back against the headboard, "Okay. Ask me anything and I'll answer you."

"Alright. What's your favorite color?"

"Sea green."

"Favorite movie?"

"Juno."

"Favorite Disney Princess?"

"Snow White."

"Why are you with an abusive asshole?"

Niall tensed up immediately and crossed his arms over his chest, looking away from the other male. He knew Mac wasn't perfect but he took care of Niall. Niall would do anything to make Mac happy and not get hit. He even deserved getting hit sometimes because he did stupid stuff sometimes.

Harry's face instantly relaxed when he saw the hurt fill Niall's features. He put his hand on the boy's thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze, "Come here, Niall. Let's cuddle, okay? We can talk about something else, yeah?"

Niall nodded slightly and moved closer to the curly haired boy. He fit himself against the taller boy and closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around Harry's slim waist and pulled him closer resting his head on the taller boy's shoulder. He relaxed as he listened to the boy's breathing.

"You're safe here, you know? I'd never hurt you. You're too pretty to get hurt. You need to be treated like a princess," Harry whispered softly and rubbed his hand slowly up and down Niall's side.

Niall smiled slightly feeling a blush cover his face and let his eyes look around at the photographs around the room.

His eyes landed on a picture of Harry and another boy. They looked a few years younger and like they were at a school event but they seemed a lot closer. They seemed to lean into each other while they sat at a table. They were dressed in suits and Harry had his tie undone hanging loosely around his neck. The other boy had brown curly hair different somehow than Harry's, he looked like he could make some killer puppy eyes with those brown eyes of his if he wanted to. His tie was still done up and he looked like he was a very neat person. They looked like they were on a proper date in the picture.

"Who's that?" Niall asked as he pointed to the picture. 

Harry looked over to where Niall was pointing and sat up slightly, "Oh. That's Liam. He's a good friend."

"Did you guys ever date? You look like you're on a date there," the blue eyed boy murmured.

"Nah. He had a girlfriend at the time. Now we just fuck sometimes. He's a good fuck."

Niall hummed slightly and nodded as he closed his eyes and let himself relax in the taller boy's hold.

"How old are you?" He murmured to Harry.

"I'm twenty-one."

"You're older than me. I'm nineteen," Niall whispered as he started drifting to sleep.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡→

Niall walked inside his house a few hours later once he woke up from his nap. He hadn't meant to fall asleep at Harry's but he did. It was the first time he felt safe in a year. He hadn't even known Harry very long but he still felt safer than with him than with his own boyfriend. 

"You shouldn't be with someone who hits you, Niall. If you ever break up with him just know you're always welcome to live here with me. I have plenty of spare room." Harry gave Niall a fond smile as Niall put his shoes on to leave.

The blonde bit his lip gently as he shut the front door of his boyfriend's house. He really hoped Mac wasn't home. He knew the other boy didn't like him leaving the house for any reason. Mac didn't see the point in Niall leaving the house now that he was done with school. He didn't want any other men looking at what was his.

"Where were you?" A deep voice sounded from the loving room.

Niall flinched and felt his heart beating faster as he took off his white converse. He hung up his coat and sighed slightly, "I went and saw a friend."

"Who?" Mac demanded and watched Niall walk into the living room.

"Just... just a school friend. They were in town for the day," Niall shrugged and kept his gaze on the floor.

The brown haired boy took a swig of his beer and watched his boyfriend. He shook his head as a sarcastic smirk grazed his face, "You're such a whore."

"Excuse me?" Niall furrowed his eyebrows and dug his fingers into his wrist.

"You're a pathetic whore. I bet you let your 'friend' fuck you didn't you? You let anyone fuck you. Such a slut. I don't even know why I took you back. Fucking whore. You probably got some disease, " Mac put his beer down and stood up. He stepped over to Niall and grabbed his chin tightly before shoving his head up to look at him, "Did you fuck your little whore friend? Hm? Did you moan like a slut you are?"

Niall whimpered and shook his head the best he could with Mac holding his chin, "N-no, sir."

Mac chuckled humorlessly and shoved Niall against the wall, slapping the small male's bum hard. He yanked down Niall's jeans and squeezed the boy's bum through his boxers, "I thought I told you to only wear those nice panties I got you."

Niall swallowed hard and murmured softly, "I-I'm sorry. They were all in the wash."

A loud slap was heard filling the room as Niall fell to the floor in pain.

"Bullshit! Niall! Don't ever lie to me! I'm not fucking stupid. There's a whole drawer of your underwear upstairs! You fucking whore! You know the rules!"

Niall was slumped on the floor holding his bright red cheek as tears filled his eyes.

"You deserve better." Niall heard in his mind.

"You're a pathetic excuse of a human being! Why am I even with you? You're a waste of time. I could of had this nice fit lad today but I said no because I'm a good boyfriend and didn't want to cheat but maybe I should of! You can't even follow the rules!"

"My door is always open for you." A gentle voice whispered. 

"You know what? Stand the fuck up, Niall. Pull your boxers off and bend over. I'm going to fuck you like I would of fucked that boy today." Mac said as he pulled his sweats off and walked toward Niall.

"No."

Mac's head snapped up when he heard the boy speak. His face filled with anger, "What did you just say you pathetic ass?"

Niall looked up from his spot on the floor. Anger and fury filling his eyes, "I said no."

Mac moved over to him and grabbed a handful of Niall's blonde hair, lifting the smaller male to his feet. He brought his hand back and slammed his fist into the blue eyed boy's stomach hard. He dropped him back to the ground when Niall groaned in pain before starting to kick the boy repeatedly. 

"You pathetic whore! You will do as I say! When I want you to bend over and let me have you, you will!  Do you understand me?!"

Niall whimpered and moved to his hands and knees, crawling away from his boyfriend before making it to his feet and running out of the house still hearing the loud yell of the man he thought he loved.

Harry's voice whispered in Niall's head, "You're too beautiful to be this sad."


	3. Chapter Three

Warnings: Mentions of abuse, possible swearing, hints of mature content

 

Niall sat in his hotel room trying to resist the urge to check his phone. He knew Mac would leave many messages and he knew they wouldn't be nice at the beginning; he also knew that when the messages started getting nice they wouldn't be true. It was the same each time; Mac would be abusive then after a few hours he'd call and apologize and beg Niall back. Well it wouldn't work this time Niall was determined not to go back this time.

 

The blonde boy grabbed the hotel phone on the nightstand and dialed the number he had memorized the past few days.

"Hello?" a deep slow voice answered.

Niall bit his lip nervously before responding, "Hey, Harry."

The voice got a chipper tone to it, "Hey! Niall! You alright? I've been texting you but you haven't answered for a few days. Did something happen? Where are you?"

The pale boy knew he was blushing as he giggled softly at the concerned sound that had weaved itself in Harry's voice.

"I'm okay. Mac beat on me when I got home but I left. I've kept my cell off so I wouldn't fall for his lies. I'm at the hotel on the edge of town but I didn't have time to grab any of my stuff."

"Do you want me to bring you some clothes and food? I can't imagine you have much money left. You can stay with me at my house until you get your own place."

"Oh, no, I can't stay with you. I don't want to be a burden. You have your own life and I don't have a job or my own car or anything like th-"

Harry chuckled through the phone causing Niall to stop talking. The green eyed boy kept chuckling for a little while before speaking, "Niall, what room are you in? We can discuss it when I get there."

"I'm in three-thirty-four. Thank you, Harry."

"I'll be there in twenty minutes."

Niall hung up the phone and looked around the plain hotel room. The walls were a faded white color with cheap pieces of artwork hanging in random places. The bed had an ugly flower pattern comforter and scratchy white sheets. There was a faded olive colored chair in the corner of the room. An old television sat on a cheap dresser that only one of the three drawers opened. It was all cheap but it was all that Niall could afford with what he found in his pockets last night.

He sat on the edge of the bed and turned on the television; flipping through the channels. Six channels worked. Two news channels, one Spanish channel, one menu channel, and two reality television channels.

After listening to a monotone newsman talk about the most recent disaster, the blonde boy turned the television off and got up from his spot. He walked back and forth chewing at his lip as thoughts swirled around his head. Thoughts about Mac and their last fight. About the abuse and the apologies, the promises and cheating, and of course the sweet gentle moments. The cherished moments that Niall held close. As rare as they were, he lived for those moments.

A knock on the door sounded at his door causing him to spin around and hurry to open it. Harry smiled at the blonde causing him to smile as well as he stepped aside to let the taller male in the small room. Niall walked in behind Harry once he closed the door.

"This place kind of sucks, Ni." Harry chuckled softly as he sat on the hard chair.

Niall blushed in embarrassment and nodded slightly, "I'm fully aware."

The green eyed boy watched Niall and smiled sadly at him. "You're going to come back to mine and we'll get you situated. Give you a fresh start without Mac knowing where you are or how to reach you."

The blonde opened his mouth to argue but closed it when he saw the look Harry was giving him. He grabbed his small bag of belongings he had bought in the hotel gift shop when he had rented the room last night and followed Harry out of the room.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry brought a bottle of Captain Morgan upstairs to the guest room that he had put Niall in for the time being. He knew the smaller boy wasn't planning on staying long but he wanted to spend as much time as he could with him before the boy got his new place. He sat on the edge of the bed and waited for Niall to come out of the bathroom where he was currently showering.

As the green eyed male opened the bottle of alcohol he thought about what he had learned about the blonde boy within the last short while of knowing him. He had done the math and put some pieces together and when he and Mac had slept together it was one of the times Niall had been with Mac. It did make the taller boy feel bad, really bad. He wanted to make it up to the other male by getting him away from the abusive man.

"Oh! Hi, Harry," The blue eyed boy said when he walked into the guest room, towel drying his hair.

"Hello, Niall." He smiled and let his gaze roam down Niall's small, slim body. The clothes he was wearing belonged to Harry so they were a bit big. The sweatpants hung low on the blonde's waist even when tied and the sweatshirt sleeves fell beyond his hands causing sweater paws.

To Harry the other boy looked adorable but those weren't the only thoughts in the curly boy's head for sure. Since he had first seen Niall he had thoughts about them grinding against each other or bending him over wherever they are and having his way with the smaller boy. He may have had a dream as well and a few good wanks.

"Didn't expect you to still be up. It's pretty late now and we had a long day," Niall said softly as he dropped the towel in the laundry basket as he headed for the spot next to Harry on the bed. His fingers sliding through his damp hair to get it out of his blue eyes.

Harry shrugged slightly as he took a drink from the bottle before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand then handed the bottle to Niall, "I thought I should come check on you."

A light blush grazed Niall's cheeks as he looked down, taking in the fact that someone cared enough to see how he was doing. He lifted the bottle and took a small drink. The liquid slid down his throat making him cringe slightly since he wasn't use drinking much. The taste making him stick his tongue out in disgust.

"Not your drink?" Harry chuckled softly before taking the bottle back.

The blonde shook his head with a small frown on his lips. He leaned back against the headboard and watched the taller boy drink from the bottle of liquor with no problem. Questions ran through his mind that he was tempted to ask. So much had happened in a short amount of time. Why would Harry want or even offer to help him? Why had he texted him in the first place? What did he want from him?

"Well, I should let you sleep now. You've had a rough few days and need a good night's rest. If you need anything I'm right down the hall. You're welcome anytime if you need anything," Harry said as he stood from the bed. He smiled at the smaller boy and made his way to the door.

"Thank you, Harry. Goodnight."

Niall watched the other male walk out of the room. His eyes moved to take in the room again. It was almost identical to Harry's bedroom but with less color and no personal affects. There were a few pieces of artwork that seemed like something a mother would pick out to decorate a house which caused Niall to smile thinking about Harry and his mother picking out art to fill the house.

When they had gotten to Harry's home earlier they had gotten some food and looked at some places for Niall to move. They had written some options down and a few job options to check out tomorrow. Niall had been nervous and his thoughts constantly went back to Mac before the brunette would say something to get his attention. The longer the blonde spent with Harry the more he began to relax and enjoy himself.

With a smile still on his face, Niall scoot down in the bed until he was completely laying on his back with the blanket pulled up over his body. He reached over to the nightstand and turned the lamp on before turning on the fan for the noise. It sounded funny and kind of stupid but he couldn't sleep without the sound of a fan running.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What about this one?" Harry asked as they walked around the third apartment.

They had been out looking at apartments since ten in the morning and it was three in the afternoon. Niall was getting bored and a little tired but he knew he needed to find a place to live. He didn't want to be a burden to Harry anymore even if the man kept saying he wasn't. They had a good day together looking at different places and getting lunch together but the blonde needed his own place.

"I like it. I think this is the one," Niall said as he looked around the small apartment. It was big enough for one person. It had one bedroom, a bathroom, a living room, kitchen, and a small dining area. To Niall is seemed like the perfect place to get a new start. Maybe he'd even get a pet to keep him company. He'd always wanted a hedgehog.

"Great! I'll go pay for the first two months rent and then we'll go rent you a car until you can get your own," Harry said as he pulled out his wallet, walking out to find the landlord.

The blonde boy walked around the kitchen counter into the living room area. A small pleased smile on his face as he thought about starting new on his own. To finally get away from a manipulative relationship. He'd get to do what he wanted and have friends again. Maybe he'd get around to signing up for college again. He would finally get to have a job again and go out without someone questioning his every move and word.

A startled sound left the small male's mouth when a pair of slim arms wrapped around his waist. The blue eyed boy spun around immediately with slightly widened eyes. He relaxed slightly when he saw Harry standing there with an amused smirk on his face. Niall put his hands on the male's chest gently and looked up into the green eyes with his blue ones.

"It's all taken care of. You can move in tomorrow," Harry spoke softly and low with his hands rubbing slow gentle circles into the smaller boy's hipbones.

An excited expression crossed Niall's face as his heard the news. He subconsciously leaned into the taller boy's touch as he responded, "Thank you, Harry. How can I thank you?"

"Well... I can think of some ways," The green eyed male said lowly as he leaned down and kissed just below Niall's ear, smirking as he felt a shiver run through the boy's body.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Niall was putting his bags in the rental car that Harry had gotten for him. He had decided he couldn't stay with Harry another day since he had gotten his apartment yesterday. He needed to start his new life and he couldn't stop blushing around the taller boy whenever they looked at each other after what they had done the previous night.

Harry had listened to the voice mails Mac had left when they had gotten back to the house after apartment hunting. He had deleted them before the blonde could hear them. That didn't stop the blue eyed boy from wondering what the messages had said or stop him from missing his ex boyfriend. He knew the messages were probably fake apologies and he knew Mac was abusive but after being with someone for so long it got lonely without that person around everyday.

"Uh, hello?"

Niall jumped in surprise at the voice and spun around quickly. His heart pounded in fright as flashbacks of his ex flashed through his mind before his eyes focused on the man standing before him. His heart beat and breathing slowly calming down as he took in some features.

Dark brown eyes looked down at Niall; the same ones he had seen in the pictures up in Harry's room. A strong jaw, pink lips, soft face, curious eyes watching his every move. Niall let his blue eyes travel male's body and take in more. The short brown hair combed into a quiff, oddly adorably shaped eyebrows, big brown eyes that looked like puppy eyes if you looked long enough, cute straight nose, pretty pink lips with just a hint of facial hair.

"Hello?"

Niall's gaze shot back up to the dark eyes at the sound of the deep voice again. The blonde blushed softly and licked his dry lips before he found his voice to the answer the brown eyed boy.

"Hi. Uh, I'm Niall. Harry is inside if you're looking for him. I was just leaving..." he trailed off.

The brunette nodded and kept his eyes on the smaller boy with a curious look in his eyes. A deep blush covering Niall's cheeks under the male's gaze. They looked at each other for a few moments quietly.

"My name's Liam."

Recognition dawned on the blonde's face at the name, "Oh! You're the one Harry talked about. He cares a lot about you."

A soft blush crossed Liam's face as a light chuckle leaves his lips, "I would hope so..."

Niall nodded slightly, a bit confused before he smiled again and finished putting his bags in the car. He held the keys in his hand and gave Liam a small smile.

"Well, I'm going to go. Harry said he was grabbing a shower. Tell him I'll pay him back. Nice meeting you."

The taller boy nodded and looked toward the house getting lost in thought for a moment before he gave a dazzling smile, "I'll tell him. Nice meeting you as well, Niall."

The blue eyed boy nodded and got in the car. He started it and watched Liam walk to the door. He pulled out of the driveway before driving toward his new apartment. His thoughts focused on the start of his new life.


	4. Chapter Four

Warnings: Swearing, cheating, possible sexual content.

Laboured panting filled the dimly lit room as the sound of skin hitting skin was heard. A low moan escaped a pair of red bitten lips before a lower one left another person and the bed groaned under protest. Soft whimpers of pleasure could be heard between whispers of sweet words for a few minutes longer before a pleasure filled moan was made and the room went silent.

A few moments passed as they caught their breath before Niall tapped the man's hip asking him to pull out which Harry did with a small chuckle, laying beside the blonde. Niall reached over to his night stand and grabbed a few tissues to clean himself up; leaving the other male to deal with the condom.

"Ni, that was great. I'm glad I talked you into skipping work today." Harry commented as he removed the condom and tossed it in the trash. He ran his fingers through his sweat damp curls and gave Niall a bright smile when he turned the lamp on beside him.

A soft hum of acknowledgment left Niall's lips as he sat up and tugged on a plain shirt over his head. He was trying to figure out how he felt. Harry and he weren't exactly dating but they had sex often. Harry swore the blonde wasn't just a booty call. Sometimes after they screw, Harry would take Niall shopping for anything he needed.

It had been this way for the past three months. Harry would call or show up at Niall's apartment, they'd have a few beers, and then they'd bang until Harry was satisfied..

"Me skipping work to fuck all day can't happen again. I was lucky Louis was there to cover my shift. Haz, I just got this job. I can't lose it."

Harry rolled his eyes and nodded as he sat up and pulled his shirt on over his head before he stood grabbing his boxers. Once he was dressed, buttoning his jeans, he turned to Niall seeing the blonde sitting in his own boxers looking up at him.

"What are you doing?" Niall asked, his voice soft, almost vulnerable.

The green eyed boy shrugged and looked at the time on his phone. "I'm heading out. Got stuff to do. I'll call you later, okay?"

Niall nodded slightly even though Harry was already walking out without waiting for an answer. The younger boy couldn't stop the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. 

****

"Oh come on! Stop being such a bitch! He doesn't need to tell you he loves you until he's ready!"

Niall chuckled softly as he listened to Louis rant at the television. He finished pouring the male's drink into a glass before he grabbed their snacks and walked into the living room, setting everything on the coffee table.

"God, she is such a bitch in this movie," the brunette ranted as he picked up the margarita and took a drink. "You know after he does say he loves her she ends up leaving him anyway. That's why I don't do relationships or 'I love yous' or anything like that. Friendships and one night stands only."

The blonde shook his head and paused the movie right as Bumblebee was transforming yet again to save their lives. Niall needed to talk to Louis about what was on his mind.

Louis whined and set his drink down. "You can't just pause Transformers! Not when my baby Bumble is on the screen!"

"Lou, you know I asked you over to talk. You're my best friend and I need help. You owe me remember? After our conversation last week?"

The short brunette scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Please. Helping me decide if I should keep fucking Danielle while Zayn fucks me doesn't mean I owe you."

"Tomlinson, shut up and help me." Niall gave him a stern look.

"Fine. What does my lovely friend need?"

A deep sigh left the blonde as he tried to decide how to explain everything on his mind for Louis to understand. It was difficult considering he himself couldn't understand it. It was frustrating for sure and the more he tried figuring out how to explain it the more distraught he felt.

"Okay, leprechaun, don't give yourself an aneurysm. Just tell me what's wrong," Louis said softly once he noticed the distraught look on his friend's face.

Niall nodded and took a deep breath before blurting out the first thing on his mind. "I think I'm falling for Harry but I don't think he feels the same."

It was silent for a few moments causing the blonde to look up from his feet. He instantly regretted it when he saw the look on his friend's face. He hated seeing the pity and hint of disapproval. He already knew how his friend felt about Harry and love.

Louis had made it obvious that he didn't approve of Harry or how he treated Niall. He constantly told his friend that he shouldn't grow attached or fall for the tall curly haired male. The conversation about Harry happened almost daily and Louis constantly told him that he deserved better than being someone's booty call. The boy even tried talking Niall into blind dates but the blonde never agreed to them.

The one time Louis met Harry was really... uncomfortable for everyone involved.

***The bell on the door rang as a customer entered the shop. Niall didn't think much of it since he was in the back pulling muffins from the oven. He could hear Louis helping the customers get their drinks. The day had been going well so far and his shift was almost over. He just needed to get through the rush that came once college and the jobs around them quit their day.

The blonde took the muffins out of the pan to help them cool as he put the next batch in the oven. He made sure he set the timer and carried the tray of fresh muffins out to the front counter so they could be put in the display case. It was one of his favorite parts of his job because the smell was like a reward for doing a good job.

"There's the cute blonde I was looking for." A deep voice sounded from in front of the counter.

The Irish lad immediately looked up when he heard the familiar voice. His blue eyes met by dark green and the smaller male instantly felt a blush cover his face.

"Welcome to Little Bird Cafè. My name is Louis. What can I get you today?" The small brunette chirped from beside Niall, successfully bringing the blonde back from whatever trance Harry had put him in. The Doncaster lad shot his friend a confused look only to be given a 'tell you later' shrug in return.

A low chuckle left Harry as he turned his attention to the short brunette, "I'll have two banana nut muffins and a large mocha iced coffee."

Louis typed in his order before grabbing a large cup for the drink, "Name?"

"Harry Styles."

Niall finished putting the muffins in the display case and pulled out two banana nut that Harry had asked for while Louis made the drink behind him. He put the muffins in a to-go bag and set them on the counter before taking the money from Harry.

"Hey? Niall? Can I come over later? I have a few things I need to take care of but then I'm free for a few hours. We could finish what we had started on Wednesday." Harry said as he took the change from the blonde, the boy's face had a dark blush as he looked up at the taller male.

Louis stepped up before the boy could answer and handed Harry his drink, "Niall's busy tonight. We made plans earlier."

The blonde stood quietly as he watched the exchange between the two. He wanted them to get along because they were the two important people in his life and he didn't need them to hate each other.

The taller boy rolled his eyes and took the drink from Louis, "I'm sure Niall would prefer to spend time with me. He's been with you all day. I just want him for a few hours."

"We made plans. You can see him another day and fuck him. That is what you wanted to do isn't it? Fuck then leave him? You seem the type." Louis said in response, his blue eyes sharp as he glared at the tall brunette.

There was silence in the entire cafè as the three people who were at tables watched the exchange with open interest. After a few moments, Harry gathered his things and took a step back before glancing at Niall.

"I'll see you later, Ni."

Then he was gone as the heavy flow of people began filling the cafè giving Niall no chance to process what had just passed between his best friend and whatever Harry was.***

To put it simply, Louis didn't appreciate Harry thinking he came before friendship just because they were hooking up. Louis is a firm believer in friend before fuck buddies. Niall agrees with that as well.

"Niall, you know how I feel about him. You don't deserve what he puts you through. He bangs you then leaves. You need someone who spends time with you and cuddles after sex."

The blonde frowned, knowing his friend was right about all of it. He did need the comfort and support of someone dedicated to him. He did crave gentle touches and cuddles all of which stopped a month after whatever this was started with Harry.

The Irish boy opened his mouth to defend himself only to be cut off by his friend.

"Don't try arguing that Harry treats than that Mac character you told me about. Yes, Harry doesn't physically abuse you but he does use you. There is no way he doesn't know that you want a relationship but all he wants from you is sex. You always talk about how he only stays around for sex then he leaves. I wouldn't be surprised if he had other fuck buddies. You don't need his crap, Ni."

The blonde lad let out a deep sigh and nodded to himself before resuming the movie, knowing that would be the only successful way to get Louis off the topic. He watched his friend get drawn back into the film.

****

Niall waved as Louis walked to his car a few hours later. It had been awkward a few moments between movies when they had ordered dinner. Niall knew that Louis had wanted to say some more about the Harry thing but the blonde acted oblivious about it. He didn't feel like talking about it any more.

Once he shut the door, he walked through his living room. He ignored the mess of take-out containers and cans of soda. He'd clean up later when he couldn't sleep, which wasn't unusual for him. He usually got maybe three hours of sleep before work, and that was when he took the sleeping pills his doctor gave him.

He made it to his bedroom and turned his television on for some noise. He fed the hedgehog he had bought for company, named him Howard, and made sure he had enough water. With a small smile on his face, he made it over to his bed and kicked off his jeans before climbing in. He had remembered to put fresh sheets on earlier because he never knew when Louis came over whether they'd end up cuddling in his bed for a sleep over. Those were his favorite nights.

The boy grabbed his laptop from his dresser and opened the web browser going to Facebook then opened a tab for Instagram. He browsed for a while; he liked and commented on a few pictures Louis and Zayn posted. He found their friendship amusing for the most part. They seemed almost polar opposites but they got on well. It probably helped that they had similar views on life.

Niall was about to close his laptop when his eye caught a glimpse of his "might know" list. He scrolled down and clicked onto the profile. A picture of Harry smiling popped up leaving no doubt it was his profile. He looked at a few posts the boy had made before clicking the link to his connected Instagram account.

Most of the pictures that came up were of buildings and scenery. A few had random quotes or nonsense as a caption. There were a few selfies with what looked like his mates. One comment made Niall's heart beat rapidly though.

"Can't wait for tonight, my love xx♡"

****

Niall wasn't sure how he found himself standing in front of yet another new door. He knew it wouldn't end well this time. He honestly was regretting his decision to come to break the news he had but he had messaged the lad before and he was expecting the blonde. 

The blonde took a deep sigh and lifted his hand to knock on the door, finally announcing his arrival to the owner of the house. He didn't think he would be seeing the male again considering he'd only met him once and that was just in passing.

The door opened and Niall looked up meeting a pair of curious brown eyes. He felt his heart pounding in his chest as he took a deep breath trying to calm down. He saw Liam's mouth moving but he didn't hear anything the other male was saying because all he could hear in his head was "run run run".

"Erm... Niall? Are you going to come in?"

The Irish male shook himself slightly and nodded before he stepped inside the house. His fingers nervously played with his sweater sleeves as he glanced around the taller male's home. It was very clean and put together for a young man. There were a few miscellaneous items strewn in a few places but it was definitely cleaner than what you would expect.

"Would you like anything to drink? I have tea or water or maybe a soda?" Liam offered as he led Niall to the kitchen.

Shaking his head slightly, Niall sat down at the table and tried thinking about what he was supposed to tell Liam, who was extremely attractive the longer he looked at him. How was he supposed to tell this puppy eyed male that Harry was cheating on him with Niall? It wasn't going to end well.

Wait is that a ring on Liam's finger?

He saw Liam sit down across from him and gave him a gentle smile, not knowing that Niall was feeling a hurricane of feelings at that moment. He was curious as to what the blonde needed to tell him. He knew it had to do with Harry because of the questions Niall had asked but he didn't know what exactly it was.

"So, Niall, what is this all about?"

The blue eyed boy shut his eyes and took a deep breath that he let out slowly and whispered, "Harry is cheating on you. With me."


End file.
